Georgia’s Lt Governor Casey Cagle Threatens Delta Over NRA Boycott

One of Georgia’s top lawmakers has threatened to “kill any tax legislation that benefits Delta” after the airline joined several other companies in ending a discount program associated with the National Rifle Association following a school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead. Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.

Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle (R), who leads the Georgia State Senate, demanded on Monday that Atlanta-based Delta, one of the state’s largest employers, make a choice: Stop punishing the NRA, or watch Republican lawmakers strike down a $50 million sales tax exemption on jet fuel, of which Delta would be the primary beneficiary.

“I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA,” Cagle tweeted. “Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.”

I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.

Cagle, a self-described “lifelong member of the NRA,” said corporations should opt to donate portions of their profits to mental-health treatments and school-safety initiatives if they wanted to help prevent gun violence.

Currently running for Georgia governor, Cagle also urged corporations to “put their money where their mouth is instead of engaging in viewpoint discrimination against conservatives and law-abiding gun owners” in an earlier tweet Monday.

Cagle, who has served as Georgia’s lieutenant governor since 2007, could weave the issue into his campaign in Georgia’s upcoming gubernatorial race, in which he is considered the leading GOP contender to replace Gov. Nathan Deal (R).

Deal has not commented on the threat from Cagle, who says he is “a lifelong member of the NRA” and boasts that he has earned an A+ rating from the NRA every year he has served in elected office. The gun-rights group has also endorsed Cagle in the past.

Delta recently joined United Airlines, Best Western, MetLife and at least a dozen other companies in eliminating discounts and perks for NRA members amid the national gun-control debate spurred by the deadly Valentine’s Day shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.